


Twist in Time

by Randomness_is_my_order



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Randomness_is_my_order/pseuds/Randomness_is_my_order
Summary: A 33 year old Naruto finds himself in his 12 yr old body, reliving his childhood, as he makes his way through the shinobi ranks with his friends, Sasuke and Sakura.Once again.How will the path of the 7th Hokage of Konoha change when he finds himself staring at the 4 stone faces in the past?What will happen when the loud-mouthed, dumb but street smart, short tempered but caring blond become wise, skilled and mature all of a sudden?Will Naruto's second take at life turn out to be for the better or for the worse?Read to find out.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 123
Kudos: 260





	1. When there's no future ahead, you jump to the past

**Author's Note:**

> Let the shitty story begin! Woo hoo.

I look contently at the peaceful village of Konoha, standing above the great stone face of my father, Minato Namikaze. I can hear the birds chirping, the leaves rustling, the chit-chat of the villagers below me, and the soothing sound of the passing wind.

I bend and turn my head to my left, what I see is essentially nothing other than the rock hard ground, no stone faces of Tsunade, Kakashi or me. I'm not surprised, afterall, I've come back in time, by my own free will. But somewhere deep down I felt as if I would turn around and see the other 3 faces staring at me while I find myself snap out of another ridiculous dream of mine.

That didn't happen, because this wasn't a dream. I really am in my 12 year old body. I jump around, feeling lighter than I once had. I look at what I'm wearing and chuckle at seeing the bright as fuck orange jacket and pants.

I sit down and close my eyes. Meditation, that's not something I'd usually do. But right now, I need to be as level-headed as I can. I have to think this through. I've got another chance to make my life better. Another chance to do things right.

_Why the hell did I travel back in time?_

Lets take a glimpse at the life I left behind. Yesterday, that is, but actually 21 years into the future in some other parallel time line.( I don't know the time travel shit but the jutsu worked)

~ Flashback ~  
xxxx

Yet another boring day in the Hokage's Office. I find myself napping over the pile of paperwork I've yet to complete. I call for Shikamaru who comes in looking just as tired and exhausted as I am.

_When did things get this bad?_

"Naruto, you really should complete this work and get home to get some rest. This all is such a drag." He says as he places a hot cup of tea on my desk.

"Yeah, yeah. You keep telling me this 24/7. But even you know that I've barely any time to rest. It seems like the work keeps increasing the more I try to compete it."

By now, Shikamaru is already on the couch, a bored look on his face as he reads a report of the ANBU missions completed in the past week.  
"I know Naruto, troublesome indeed. Anyway, this is way out of my character but if you want, I can do your work for only a day while you rest and regain your strength."

If I was surprised, I didn't show it. "Nah, can't let you shoulder so much responsibility. It's unbecoming of a Nara anyway."

I hear him chuckle slightly as he lifts his head from the file.  
"What a drag. The Hokage refuses to rest, and probably will die from overworking. Have to find candidates for Lord 8th". He says sarcastically.

I don't know why but I feel uneasy. After I became Hokage, it felt like I was on a 24/7 desk job. No missions, no action, no training, and minimal interaction with family and friends. I wondered if this was a sacrifice a Hokage had to make. Or was it just me? I'm not the best at time management after all. Besides, it's a time of peace and to maintain this peace requires not secret S rank missions, or sharp strategizing, or brutal training, but a shit load of paperwork and formal meetings.

Kage summits seem to be glorified kitty parties, with a little chatter about diplomacy and politics.

I sigh once again and get back to signing this monstrosity called paperwork.

(Timeskip, 11 pm)

I finally finished most of my work for today. My under eye bags as black and big as ever. My exhaustion sweeping over and sleep seeming to be the most appealing thing in this situation. My eye lids become heavy and slumber was about to kick in.

But Instead, my son, Boruto, kicked the door and came into my office. A bag of clothes in his hand, and a frustrated expression on his face.

"It's quite late Boruto, you shouldn't have come to get me a pair of clothes. But now that you have, thanks boy." I smile warmly, not having the energy to get up and hug him.

He keeps staring at me, almost glaring, the frustrated look still on his face.

There's a tension filled silence in the room and I was eager to break out of it. So I ask him, "Is something bothering you?"

"You, you are bothering me." He retorts. I sense some loathe in his tone.

"What did I do now?" I ask nonchalantly

He is my son, yes, but he is also a spoiled brat. The world doesn't revolve around him, but he thinks it does. Ever since I became the 7th Hokage, things haven't been the same between us. He wants me to spend time with him, I understand that. In that aspect, I've failed him as a father. But he never understood that his dad has responsibilities. I know he is young but I raised him to be considerate. Did I fail there too? Or did he fail me as a son? Or am I the legendary ass hole shitty father here?

_Could be the latter._

Again, how did things come to ** _this?_**

I snap out of my thoughts as my angel of a son bangs his hand on my desk, starting his daily tantrum.  
"WHAT DAY IS IT TODAY, DAD?!"  
He yells.

For a moment, I'm confused. Another, I'm looking at the calendar behind my chair. As realisation hits me, I inwardly curse myself for forgetting such an important day. It was my younger daughter, Himawari's birthday.

_Yes, I'm the best father in the world._  
_Ughhhh._

I quickly look at the fuming Boruto, thinking about how I can handle this situation.

"Boruto, listen, I'm really sorry for forgetting her birthday. I really am-"

"Save it, dad. Keep doing your Hokage business and come home after you decide to prioritize your own freaking family over the village." With that he stormed out the door.

I was stunned, angry, sad, regretful, and above all **guilty**.

Guilty because I knew what he said was true. I had prioritized my village over my family. But my village was **MY** family. I went from nothing to everything because of this village. I owe my life to it.

But neglecting my family is not right, I knew it, but I couldn't help it. Maybe, I am incompetent, that's why.

I couldn't help but think how things would've turned out if I hadn't taken this route, of becoming the Hokage, marrying Hinata and having two kids. I knew I loved Hinata, but with each passing day, I realised that maybe I didn't. Maybe, I had convinced myself because I'd loved someone who would never be mine.

 _"Naruto"_ came Kurama's voice from my mindscape. I quickly found myself staring at the nine-tails huge form.

"Sup kuru? What's the matter?" I asked him. I could sense that he was serious.

 _"How do I put this Naruto? Umm.."_  
He trailed off.

I sighed. "Just get on with it Kuru. I've barely any time to spare for idle chit chat y'know?"

_"Yeah, yeah, I know. And that's the reason I want to talk to you. You see, everyday you just keep regretting your life choices and honestly, I don't find myself amused in this position I am in. I'm free but still can't move around or do anything."_

"I know, I've failed you as well. Anything else or do you want me to let you free and also die in the process?" I snapped but not too harshly.

_"Oh, just lay off the drama for once."_

"Whatever, carry on."

_"Hmm, so how would you like to go back in time and actually live your life properly, not repeating your previous mistakes? Sounds fun right?"_

I couldn't control my laughter at hearing this.

"Are you insane? Do you find me that stupid? You've been filling your head with too much time travel junk kuru."

Kurama couldn't control his agitation. He growled and said _"Naruto, this is NOT A JOKE. I'm fucking serious. I know a jutsu that can transport your soul to your body through time, past or future. You can change your life, get better results and not sulk around then."_

To say I was shocked would be an understatement.  
"But.....how....ummm.... Hinata and the rest....what to ..... kurama this jutsu, is this really possible?"

Kurama smirks. _"It is, a 100%, idiot"._

"Woah, goddamn. But wait, does this mean I'll retain all my memories when I go back in my past body?"

_"Uh-huh. And your skills. You'll have do befriend me again as my memories won't be retained. Only you will go back in time."_

"I don't mind that kuru. I'll have it done in no time."

 _"Let's do this Naruto."_ Kurama's voice is full of hope and so are my eyes.

The dull, blue eyes of mine shone with hope. After a long time.

Good bye Hinata, Boruto and Himawari. Maybe next time, things will never come to this.

_Maybe, Boruto and Himawari will be names unknown._

_Maybe, the 7th great stone face won't be **mine**._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason for which Naruto time travelled to the past is very illogical and selfish of Naruto. I know it. You know it. You also know that I lack creativity hence the reason is so bad. But we don't voice that. Cool? We'll just pretend the reason is very good and satisfactory and we will move on.
> 
> My bossy side is shining.  
> Peace.


	2. So who is the demon?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto cleans up some, encounters a lady, starts making good impressions, talk-no-jutsu, and opinions and thoughts.

After meditating, I quickly made my way to my apartment using the Transformation Jutsu to go unnoticed by the villagers. I wasn't looking forward to another confrontation from my childhood. I knew things would be difficult again. I'm not a village hero... _yet_.

Opening the door, I looked around my messy apartment. I started cleaning up at once. Rearranging my possessions, organising scrolls, tools, and ninja equipment. Folding my clothes and putting them in the cupboard. I also made a clone and instructed it to get groceries while I cleaned my house.

My clone returned just as I finished with my chores and cleaning. I was satisfied with the end result. I dispelled the clone and started cooking. Not ramen. I love that shit but I need to work on my health and body once again and this time I would do it by eating a balanced diet.

So I fried some chicken after marination and some salad. I ate it in peace, after which I decided to enter my mindscape and befriend that orange fluffy giant once again.

I walked through the sewer and heard the low rumbling of Kurama and made my way to the huge cage.

 _"Oh, you're back, my jailor, Naruto. Want my chakra again?"_ Kurama asked with a wicked expression on his face.

"Kurama. It's nice to see you again. And no, I'm in no need of your chakra, right now." I said, sincerely.

To say that Kurama was shocked is an understatement.

_"How the hell do you know my name? I never told you."_

"Oh, I know a lot more. You're not good at conveying your emotions, you're lazy, you miss the sage of the six paths dearly, you were controlled by Obito Uchiha, impersonating Madara Uchicha, on 10th October, 12 years ago when you attacked Konoha. You see, we were friends."

I smirked when I saw Kurama was utterly speechless. But he recovered faster than I'd expected.

 _"Naruto, how exactly do you know all of this?"_  
And so began the boring explanation of how everything came to be.

Kurama was reluctant and looked at me like I was some alien more than once but in the face of undeniable facts and my amazing charm, he became my friend once again and I exited my mindscape after changing the scenery to a pleasant forest. Kuru needed some love. 

Then, I decided to go do some much needed training. I was making my way through the village once again, but without a henge. I had to face them sooner or later.

_'why_ _does the demon brat even show his face in the village?'_

_'he's_ _such a nuisance. Why isn't he executed yet?'_

_'the_ _monster is strolling like nothing is wrong. What an idiot.'_

These were some of the compliments my oversensitive ears picked up from the kind villagers.

I simply kept my smile intact not wanting to give the negativity in the village anymore attention.

That's when I saw an old lady carrying too many bags for her own good.

I rushed to her aid.  
"Granny, would you like me to take some of those and help you? I'll follow you to your destination." I asked her.

She looked up to see who I was and her expression of relief changed to one of horror.

"You demon, how dare you talk to me, let alone ask to touch my bags and follow me!"  
I was a bit taken aback, but I said nothing to disrespect her.

Instead I did what I was best at, and smiled and grinned.

This scene obviously had attracted a lot of villagers and so I spoke.

"Granny, a demon wouldn't ever ask an old lady to help her out. A demon wouldn't look out for others. A demon would see others as the enemy. A demon would seek revenge for those who wronged it. A demon would do all those things but not seek to provide aid to an old lady who seems troubled by carrying too much weight.  
So granny, who is the demon?"

All the villagers were taken aback by my sudden outburst. I knew it would take alot more than this speech to make them understand that I wasn't the demon they see me as. I was just a kid. Well, _physically_ atleast. 

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the old lady. She said something... _unexpected_.

"Brat, just pick up these damn bags before I fall down. Can't hold them anymore".

I just laughed and picked them up. I had no malice, or hate towards her or the villagers. When they would let go of those emotions towards me, it would all be good. And I'm willing to do my best to make it sooner rather than later.

The crowd had dispersed and I heard no negative comments throughout the street but they started again in other parts of the village. The villagers there hadn't seen the whole drama so that's fine.

On reaching a small building which the old lady said her apartment was in, I walked up the stairs while she followed slowly behind. I put all the bags down, and asked the lady if I could do anything else before I left.

"Silly boy, you've done enough. Now go. And if you have it in yourself then forgive me. You truly did open my eyes. The demon I thought I saw was just a kid and I've wronged you."

"Granny, don't worry about it. I've forgiven all of you already." I said, reassuringly.

The old lady just smiled and then went inside her apartment.

I swiftly went down the stairs and jumped from rooftop to rooftop and made my way to the training grounds.

**_Let the games begin!_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. The story is still shitty. But roll with it. Please? Pretty please? Okay fine fine. Leave your criticism. My heart is made of stone. I won't mind. 
> 
> Peace.


	3. Same Bond : Different Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto trains and meets someone in the grounds. A challenge is made, a challenge is accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really feel like I'm writing riddles in my chapter summaries. 
> 
> Anyway, read on beautiful souls!

  
As soon as the fresh air hit my face, I felt an overwhelming sense of calmness rush through my body. I hadn't felt like this in a while. The many failures in my life, my personal life left me restless psychologically.

_But this time, I knew things would be different._

Once I reached the centre of the field, I made 50 clones, instructing 10 to perform chakra control exercises, another 10 to take laps around the ground till they dispelled, the next twenty to practice taijutsu, 5 to henge into different people and visit the library to read about the current affairs and water based ninjutsu. The remaining five started sparring with me.

Though the clones disappear with one solid hit, my clones weren't push overs. They had the same skills I had and so it wasn't surprising when I found myself on the defensive against my other 5 clones.

After some time, I finally managed to win the match against the five clones. I then sat on the ground, meditating once again to heighten my senses. This felt good.

In my shinobi career, I had found solace in meditation soon after the war, when the ghosts of my past came to haunt me, my fears ate at me, my insecurities laughed at me, my anger rose within me, and my hatred threatened to come back to me.

I soon became a calm, analytical, borderline smart ninja when I realised just how grave working on impulse and emotion alone really is. All through my genin days, I had survived, not because I was particularly skilled or talented but because I had been lucky and my enemies were caught off-guard with my impulsive battle style fueling on my emotions.

_This time around though, I'll embrace this maturity from the very beginning._

I was interrupted from my meditative state when I sensed an all too familiar chakra walking towards the training grounds. It was the chakra of my best friend, rival, partner in crime. It was Sasuke.

As much as I was looking forward to this confrontation, I was also nervous. This wasn't the Sasuke whom I had friendly spars with, whom I knew and he knew me, who was over his need for vengeance and secure without his overwhelming hatred.

No, it was the Sasuke of the past who still needed to be saved, who still needed to be told the truth, who needed guidance after being so utterly misguided.

I made a silent promise to never let Sasuke go after Orochimaru this time. I would prevent it, prevent many more things from happening. I had no intention of walking down the same horrid path of deaths and war, again.

So, I stood up and when I saw his approaching figure, I did what I wouldn't have ever done back then.

I _willingly_ went to him......to talk.

"Hey, Sasuke! Came here to train?" I asked him, plastering not a wide grin but a smile, a genuine one.

"Hn, dobe."

Oh yeah, this Sasuke was a boy of a very few words and 'hn', 'dobe', 'shinobi' and 'kill' seemed to be the only words in his dictionary.

I mentally sigh but outwardly put on a slightly curious face and ask,   
"So, teme, what will you be practicing? I'm currently working on my chakra control and taijutsu."

"What I'll practice is none of your concern, dobe. And how did you make solid clones?" He asked, almost suspiciously as if he thought I was an impostor and the real Naruto was tied up somewhere.

But since he noticed my shadow clones and dropped his mask of indifference if only to weirdly interrogate me, I decided to answer earnestly.

"Oh, that's the shadow clone jutsu. You see, since I have massive chakra reserves, I can't really perform the normal clone jutsu since it only requires a minimal amount of chakra and my chakra control is not good enough to use a jutsu like it. So, as an alternative I stumbled upon this jutsu which splits my chakra when I make the clones and can only be used by people with massive chakra reserves. Suits me well and now I can graduate the academy. Isn't that great?"   
I finish my rant only to see a slightly annoyed and curious Sasuke. Odd combination of emotions, or maybe I'm just not meant to read people.

"Cool dobe. Atleast, you're taking training seriously at last." He says, with his usual aura of superiority.

"As If. I've always been serious. You know nothing about me...yet. Anyway, what do you say, wanna train together for a while?" I ask him, with some..... hope in my eyes? Yeah, hope.

"Tch, dobe. You can't train with me if you're not even at my level or anywhere near. It'll be a waste of time." Says the asshole.

_I really want to befriend Sasuke and establish our bond again, before, before darkness can ever consume him._

_It's always been that way, I've been his light and he has been my darkness. We perfectly balance each other, and his darkness doesn't necessarily mean negativity. It just means the raw emotions of anger, restlessness, trouble, fear. Sometimes they consume us, the more violent ones, like hatred and anger blind us. But too much light, like happiness, kindness which are unconditional and undivided can lead to others taking advantage of me. So, we both help each other. We support, help, aid each other._

_Even though this Sasuke doesn't realise how important he is to me, one day he will. That's for sure._

So, before Sasuke could leave the ground, I hold his wrist firmly and then him around.   
I confidently smirk, and say "One challenge, one spar. You win, I'll not bother you again, I win, we train together. You decide?"

This time Sasuke smirks. "Challenge accepted, idiot, be prepared to eat the dirt."

"Not before I kick your ass and pull the metal rod which is stuck there."

Once again, the stoic face of the Uchiha changes into one of anger and I can't help but laugh. Damn, this Sasuke is so easy to anger. I know which buttons to push and he responds just like I want him to.

"Come at me dobe, let me see if you're all bark and no bite or if you have some real guts."

"As you wish sir." I bow mockingly and then we start.

We start the spar and sparks of a potential friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hey you! Yes YOU.   
>  Before you exit this page, go comment something. Anything.   
> Criticism, roasts, COMPLIMENTS, greetings, suggestions, everything is allowed. 
> 
> So don't be shy, let's interact. 
> 
> Peace.


	4. The Spar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke spar. What else? 
> 
> Someone wins and we all know who that someone is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling very happy today and doing very well. Thought you should know even though you didn't ask. 
> 
> I know I'm crazy.

~ Sasuke's POV ~

  
I am a creature of habit. I love normalcy, peace and quite and being indifferent about anything and everything except matters about gaining power and killing my _dearest_ brother.

I don't get surprised, usually. I train, eat, sleep, attend the academy and excel at everything there. That's my routine. And I love it that way.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't interact with many people not because I think they're below me, but because I find them uninteresting. Still not worth my time. I'm anti social, yes.

So when I saw Naruto of all people, practicing in the training ground that I visit frequently, actually, everyday, I was not amused. It felt like an _invasion of privacy_ and then that idiot comes up to me and _talks_ to me.   
But something about the way in which he seemed dedicated to his training, the mud on his pants, the little cuts on his jackets, not to mention a whole group of solid clones running about doing unique chakra control exercises, made me actually _reply_ to him. I was still my rude self but that's me.

Admittedly, Naruto has always been an enigma to me. He's clearly ostracised by the villagers for god knows what and I'm not stupid to blame it on his relatively harmless, sometimes hilarious pranks. He's always smiling, grinning even when he clearly has no reason to do so. He's at the bottom of the class but always challenges me anyway. And that's exactly what he did today as well. But this time, there was a difference.

He was completely confident in himself.

Not cocky, not arrogant, like his usual self.

So, I decided to give him a chance.

....................

I steady myself while Naruto mock-bows and I have to quirk an eyebrow because since when did Naruto get a sarcastic sense of humour?

He gets into a stance that I don't recognize. It was full of holes though so I can easily land hits. That's when I see it. He was digging his left foot behind as if about to break into a sprint. I palm my kunai and there is a burst of wind and there he is, Naruto, standing right in front of me, hand working in a slashing motion.

His kunai would've made a very painful gash on my chest if it wasn't for my quick reflexes. I block his kunai with mine, but just barely.

It takes me a second to get over my shock. Naruto had gotten fast, _very_ fast. And he could bypass my defensive stance as if it was _nothing_.

I jump back and make some space between us. But Naruto had other plans. He makes some unfamiliar hand signs and murmurs something that I can't hear. Next thing I know, blades of wind are attacking me out of nowhere. I use the substitution jutsu hastily.

I shudder when I see the log with 20 or more slashes. That could've been _**me**_.

I come to terms with the fact that I was going to be surprised alot that day. Naruto knows a wind jutsu and something tells me his jutsu repertoir doesn't end there.

_~Swoosh~_

I'm brought back to reality by an incoming kunai and move out of the way while throwing 5 kunais at Naruto which miss the mark. Intentionally.

I too have some tricks up my sleeve. Here, quite literally.

I jerk back the wires hidden up my sleeve and pull on the kunais I just threw.

I was expecting to see panic or a foreboding look on Naruto's face. But instead I see a smirk.

He gets trapped in the web of wires but that smirk tells me that's really not the case.

I take no chances and tighten the wires to the limit, hold a kunai in a reverse grip and jump and close the distance between us.

I see the smirk vanish. Good. He knows it's end of the line now.

In no time, my kunai is held to his neck.

"It's the end for you. Yield." I say, completely assured of my victory.

My eyes go wide when I see an unfamiliar tag on his jacket. I can recognize the array for explosion though.

_**Oh no.** _

It was a shadow clone and now I'm covered in _paint_.

**Bright orange paint.**

If I didn't have a reputation of being a calm and collected person, I would have cursed right then and there.

I hear laughter and something in me snaps. I rush in that direction and engage Naruto in a taijutsu fight.

Holes in his stance, I said?   
_I've been cheated._

Every time, I tried to exploit a weakness in his defence, he would block, or bend out of the way.

Feigning? He saw through it.   
Dirty tactics? He retaliated with 4 more.   
Pure strength? His blows struck harder than mine.

I was supposed to get agitated at this. Because how in the world can the dead-last best _me_ , the most promising academy student? Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn't feel rage of any kind. Instead, I felt _**exhilarated**_. I felt challenged and that feeling is amazing. I was having _fun_.

I started adapting, I went as low as I could to make a swipe and when he jumped I tried head-butting him in the balls.

There are no boundaries for shinobis. Everything is fair game.

Naruto moved out of the way though and shot me an amused look. I sincerely believe that he is the bastard out of the two of us.

I had a realization then.   
Naruto was **not** winded. He only looked slightly ruffled. He was somehow so ahead of me that I didn't even pose a challenge to him.

Before I could do anything with this new piece of information, I felt _pain_. Pain in my chest where Naruto had kicked me. Now I was lying on the ground, clutching the centre of my T-shirt.

Naruto was pressing me against the ground, his kunai firmly positioned on my neck.

He smirked at me.

That's when it hit me.

I had _lost_.

And I wasn't the least bit annoyed about it.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto smirks alot.   
> Naruto is OP.   
> Also, 2 updates in a row today. Bitch, I'm on a roll. 
> 
> And Naruto was pressing Sasuke on the ground. All sexual innuendos were intended, just so you know. ;)
> 
> Peace.


	5. What's a classroom without a little fun?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attire, attitude and personality change is apparently enough to cause a few kids mini-heart attacks and Naruto seems to not care about that fact one bit. 
> 
> Or he does and that's why he enjoys it so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Wait. First off, wtf, you readers are so amazing and interactive.  
> Secondly, hope you enjoy this one. It's sort of a filler chapter but oh well.

~Sasuke's POV~

"I win." The idiot says.

"Hn." 

"You lose."

_Way to go Mr. Obvious._

"Hn."

"We made a wager, remember?"

"Hn."

"Fine then. Be that way. I'll just leave."

"Hn."

He calmly walks over to a tree where he'd drop of some of his belongings. Picks them up and goes in the direction towards the village. Just before he goes out of earshot, I hear him shout,

"Next weekend, same time. Here. Bye _Sasu_ _-kun_!"

I ground my teeth at the new nickname he gave me. To mock me of course. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't work.

Regardless, I was excited for the next weekend. After the match was over and it was apparent that victory was not mine, I was resigned to my fate of training with Naruto and his energy and his _orangeness_ and his surprisingly humorous attitude.

I still despise the human species as a whole. There's no one who understands me, my circumstances. I really only have one goal and it'll always be that way. To kill the man who killed everyone I loved, everyone I called my own. Who killed my entire clan. Who saw people as playthings.

But while reaching that goal, I could afford some fun. Now if that fun was training and spending a little time with Naruto, the supposed dead last of my class, then it's just an added bonus.

I still have questions though. They'll bug me I know but I'm nothing if not patient. It's not like I want to talk to Naruto now anyway. I'd still just spar with him and that's that. Connections will hurt me in the end, they always do. My father, my mother, my family, my clan, my **_brother_**........

I shake myself out of such morbid thoughts and start my own training for the day. Once I'm done, I leave the ground with an unfamiliar facial expression on my face. If someone asks me later on whether I had been smiling, I'd quite politely inform them that no, I _wasn't_ smiling and that it was just a _facial muscle exercise._

....................

**xxx Next day, 8 am xxx**

I leave my comfy apartment, and head straight to the academy. I reach there in 15 minutes and enter the classroom. The others would not start coming in till it was 8:30 so I had some time to myself.

  
My mind wanders to my classmates. I never talk with them much. It's always a grunt or two, a frustrated 'stop' to girls who think that I'll be marrying them someday, curt and polite replies to some other, less squealing- more brains type of classmates. Then I remind myself that no, that's not it. There's one more thing I open to mouth to speak about.

Insults. Insults directed at a certain blond haired boy.

It's always been that way. An unspoken rivalry, a drive where one tries his best to do better than the other. That someone had always been Naruto.

_Until yesterday._

Yesterday had been an eye-opener of sorts. That I wasn't the best. That I wouldn't always win. That if I had chances to kill the man I wanted to, I had to take all the opportunities I got and train much more than I recently did.

While I was still trying to recollect the name of that girl with pink hair who always swooned over me the most, I realized that most of my classmates had already settled at their usual spots.

I look out the window and just 2 minutes pass by before the entire class goes silent. I find that odd because our sensei usually has to shout like there's no tomorrow before there's even a _shred_ of discipline in my class.

My eyes trail over to the door and everything becomes clear. The silence makes sense. Standing by the door is Naruto. Only there's no orange. And no jumpsuit.

He's dressed in black shinobi pants with white bandages wrapped just below his knee. He's wearing a white-tshirt with a red spiral at the centre of it. He's equipped with a utility belt holding 4 pouches with different weapons. My eyes go wide when I spot _senbon_ among the weapons. Last I checked, his accuracy was barely average.

The most shocking thing, however, is that he actually looks _good_ without those hideous goggles covering his hair and the oversized jumpsuit covering his lean-built body.

He raises an eyebrow noticing our reaction to his new and improved look and I see him bite his lip as if to stop himself from bursting into laughter then and there when his eyes trail over to the right corner.

Because there's seated Hinata. Only she's not as conscious as the rest of us.

He mutters something under his breath and walks calmly over to me and slides into the seat beside me. For once, no one complains because everyone is trying to figure out if they've gone mad, and if this is some ridiculous dream they're in because we all thought we'd _die_ before we would ever see Naruto in anything but that _hideous orange_.

Iruka sensei enters the class absentmindedly, but when he realises that we're actually quite, he's alarmed. He looks over all of us frantically and I can see almost in _slow motion_ , how his eyes widen comically and he seems to have choked on spit when his eyes land on Naruto.

He coughs.  
Once, twice, thrice.

And then there's a snort.   
Oh, Naruto is enjoying this way too much.

After what I'd guess were 4 minutes and 27 seconds, sensei finally seems to have composed himself, and coughs awkwardly.

"So students, well, sorry for that. I just.....nevermind that. Anyway, as you all know that the graduation exam is arriving soon. Only two weeks remain really. So I've decided that we'd go over the theory this week and the practical the next week. This will ensure that everything is thoroughly revised and most if not all of you pass the exams."

12 year olds can be very _whiny_ when they want to, ninjas-in-training or not. So, some groan upon realising that we will be having some sort of rapid quiz everyday for the next week to cover such a big portion.

_Lucky us. Yay._

I chance a glance towards Naruto but instead I see Shikamaru, the lazy Nara guy looking at Naruto, as if solving a puzzle of the highest difficulty. Creepy.

I tilt my head and see Naruto leaning on the backrest, still muttering something that I cannot possibly hope to decipher. By now, Naruto should've thrown a fit over having a test on theory of any kind, but he seemed to have no care about what's happening at all. Strange. But then again, Naruto has been surprising me again and again since yesterday.

I look back and see that Iruka-sensei had finished writing ' **POP QUIZ :** **SHINOBI** **HISTORY (WARS INCLUDED)'** on the board in _extremely neat_ handwriting.

Huh. That's easy. For _me_ , atleast, I add in my head upon seeing the sullen expressions of my classmates.

Sensei starts off from the right row, going in order. Some answer correctly, others just guess, a few cheat by asking their partners. The usual. Soon, it's my turn and everyone's attention is on me.

"Sasuke, your turn. Who was the Hokage when the First Shinobi War broke out?"

I scoff internally. Anyone with _half a brain_ and _two grains_ of knowledge about basic history of shinobis could answer it.

"Hashirama Senju." I answer and see some girls acting as if I've just proved I have an IQ over **_200_**.

"Correct. Good job Sasuke. You may sit." I do so.

Iruka sensei looks at Naruto again and his face adopts an uncomfortable look, as if trying to come to terms with something that's new, that's unbelievably different. Which on some levels, is.

"Naruto, you're next."

No response.

I turn my head. _Obviously_ , he's still muttering to himself, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. I move my hand to slap him on his arm and give him a good scare but like it's been happening lately, I'm the one whose surprised. Yet _again_.

Before I can even touch him, his left hand shoot up and snakes around my wrist firmly.

But Naruto? He's still muttering, his face blank.

"Naruto." I grit my teeth and call out.

_No response._

"Naruto."

_No response._

My endless patience is apparently non-existent now.

"NARUTO." I shout.

He stops muttering and looks over to me, quirking an eyebrow as if _I_ was the one who did something wrong and had to explain myself.

Before I could give him any verbal response to that, sensei coughs and draws our attention to him.

"Naruto, how nice of you to join us to the world of living again." He says, thoroughly amused.

The bastard doesn't even look ashamed or embarassed. Instead, his eyes seem to be twinkling with barely suppressed amusement.

"Why, thank you sir. The pleasure is all mine." He responds dramatically and I hear some startled snorts coming from a few people.

Iruka dazedly shakes his head as if just hit by some bizarre abnormality.

It seems that everyone is just as surprised as I am when I first heard Naruto being _witty_ , of all things. 

"Umm..yeah. So anyway, Naruto. Your turn now."

"My turn for....?" Naruto asks.

_Great. Just great. He is totally oblivious._

"The quiz Naruto. We're having a quiz." Sensei tells him _slowly_ , like a parent explaining something complicated to a small child. Naruto looks over to the board and understanding dawns on his face. He stands up.

"Here's your question. Who was referred to as the yellow flash", Naruto tenses, " and why?", Iruka completes the question.

I hear the Yamanaka girl snort and say, "As if he'd actually know any answer.", under her breath. A round of giggles emerge from the neighbouring girls.

They have a sense of humour of **_2 months old monkey._**

Naruto's shoulders are still tense but I can see the tell-tale signs of amusement on his face again. If only I'd know what was going on in his head.

When another 30 seconds pass, and even I realize that Naruto still is just as dumb as he previously was, he surprises me again.

"Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He had been called the yellow flash for his mastery over the flying thunder god technique and his original jutsu using it."

This time the reactions are amusing even for myself. Iruka-sensei is gaping and so is half of the class. I spot the Nara yet again, looking intrigued.

Naruto coughs and Iruka snaps out of his stupor.

"Yeah, yes. I mean, right. The answer that _you, Naruto_ , just gave, is _right_. Huh. Okay. Oh I mean, well done. You can sit."

Naruto sits down and muffles his laughter with his hand.

I turn to look out the window once again with one thought on my mind,

I'm going to _die_ if this happens everyday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Sasuke needs some entertainment in his boring life.  
> Naruto fits the requirement perfectly. 
> 
> Also, let the aloof, BAMF Naruto emerge. 
> 
> Comment whatever you like, my amazing readers! 
> 
> Peace.


	6. Pointless Investigations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru forgetting that he's smart and Naruto making deals again and the situation is just the start of something better to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. So. I've decided the ship. And it's gonna be SHIKANARU. Yay. 
> 
> Sasuke and Naruto will still have a very special bond but that of brothers and best friends and partners in crime. Just not any romantic or sexual interactions. 
> 
> Also. HOW IN THE ACTUAL FUCK DID THIS STORY REACH 1.2K HITS. It's a big deal for me you guys and so thank you so very much for reading this fanfic. ;)

That week went by in a blur. Naruto kept surprising everyone by his suddenly increased knowledge in shinobi theory. Naruto himself, had come to terms with the fact that he was in the _past_ , with the power to cause changes, good ones, and also cause a lot of havoc for the friends of his previous lifetime. He was having fun, suffice to say. 

Other noteworthy development that occured that week was the persistent observation of whatever Naruto did by his creepy stalker, Shikamaru. 

Now Shikamaru is usually a very lazy person, even while playing his favourite game of Shogi. His half-lidded eyes are never awake enough to see his eye colour. Sleeping and cloud watching are the only two things on his to-do list for any and everyday. 

But even lazy bastards find themselves a quest of interest. 

In this case, that piece of intrigue is Naruto. 

_Predictable much?_

Shikamaru prides himself for his amazing observation skills and his consequent deductive reasoning based on those observations. So he knows that Naruto was fairly dimwitted, he knows Naruto practiced alot but never improved due to lack of proper guidance, he knows Naruto's circumstances are not ordinary but he doesn't know how in the world can a person change _so drastically_ over a _weekend_. 

He was seriously considering the possibility of soul possession for a second.

So what does this mean for him?   
Oh a puzzle to solve ofcourse. 

So then began his investigations. The start was subtle. Side-glancing and seeing Naruto, his mannerisms, his body-language. Finding hints wherever he could. That subtlety didn't last long. By the end of the week, everyone in his class was aware that Shikamaru really, really wanted to have a conversation with Naruto so he could figure this mystery out. 

But Naruto was nothing but a challenging opponent. 

Naruto was what Shikamaru called a _sneaky snake_ in the depths of his mind. Every time Shikamaru thought that he had successfully cornered Naruto, Naruto would just.....vanish. Shikamaru would be left thinking how Naruto did that and on one special occasion after he shared his theory of Naruto using body flicker technique with his father and the consequent laughter and pat on his head that followed told Shikamaru of the sheer absurdity of his thought process. 

But Shikamaru didn't think he was imagining Naruto vanishing. He knew what he saw and he believed in what he saw. So this just added to the pile of growing questions regarding the former orange menace, Naruto. 

After a tiring week of trying to have a conversation with Naruto, Shikamaru was frustrated. He hadn't found any answers, but only more questions, with little to no progress on his theories of what happened to Naruto. He was so tired that he just lazed around and slept the entire first day of the weekend. 

Sunday came and Shikamaru felt as lazy as ever. However, his mother, Yoshino was having none of it. After a bit of shouting and ordering, Shikamaru was unceremoniously thrown out of the house with a bag and a list of groceries to be bought home by him. 

Shikamaru kept grumbling under his breath about the entire unfairness of his situation. Because how come mother gets to stay home, safe from the hot sun, while he has to walk around a busy market collecting a whole week's worth of groceries? 

Nonetheless, Shikamaru got to his task at hand. He was slow. He was taking his own sweet time and he didn't care one bit about it. 

He had just finished buying rice when he saw him. Naruto. His golden spikes could be seen behind the blue of a stall selling fresh vegetables. 

_Shikamaru wanted to go hug his mom right that instant._

He slowly made his way towards Naruto as if he would scare him away if he went too fast. He arranged his walking style to appear nonchalant instead of the extreme eagerness he was feeling at that very moment. 

Once Naruto finally came into view, Shikamaru had to stop and just appreciate what he was seeing. 

_Goddamn-blond-blue-eyed-muscled-bastard_. 

Shikamaru easily suppressed the little pink threatening to colour his cheeks due to his mastery over a poker face. He would have to think about this later. 

He was 7 steps away from Naruto when Naruto looked at him away from the seemingly deep conversation he was having with the vegetable vendor. On seeing Shikamaru, Naruto's face took upon a teasing smile as if knowing exactly what Shikamaru was doing there and what a struggle it all really was. 

Shikamaru, refusing to let this opportunity pass by, lazily waved at Naruto and slowly made his way towards him.

"Oh hello Shikamaru." Naruto greets sweetly. _Too_ sweetly if you asked Shikamaru. 

"Hey Naruto, nice seeing you here. So, buying groceries too, huh?" 

Shikamaru really was not meant for having small talks. 

"Yeah, that's how it works for me. You know, orphan stuff?" Naruto chuckles like it was actually a joke and not a ploy to make Shikamaru uncomfortable. 

"Erm...sorry about that? Uh, I was thinking-" 

"You always do that." 

"Yeah, well, you're right. But I wanted to well- ask you if you want to hang out with me right now? I'm just going to go to that hill and relax for a bit. Cloud watch, you know?" 

Naruto looks oddly at Shikamaru, contemplating this offer. Unbeknownst of Shikamaru, Naruto was actually thinking whether he would be able to outsmart the Nara if they were to engage in a deep conversation somehow, obviously initiated by the Nara to sate his curiosity. 

After a minute or so, Naruto's face breaks into a small grin and he agrees. 

Relief. That's what Shikamaru feels. 

They walk to the Nara compound in companionable silence where Shikamaru drops off the groceries. When he comes back, he notices that the bags in Naruto's hands were gone. 

He raises an eyebrow in a silent question and gets a careless shrug in return as his answer. 

Tight-lipped annoying blond boy.

In just 10 minutes, both of them are lying on the grass atop the small hill, enjoying the cool breeze and warm sun and obviously the fluffy white clouds sailing lazily in the blue sky. 

Romantic? 

HELL NO. 

Despite the seemingly peaceful environment, Shikamaru was a wreck. He didn't know where to start the conversation even though he was a champion at gathering information. His mind was running a mile a minute and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. 

Naruto started _humming_. 

And Shikamaru ceased all thinking. 

He was simply mesmerised. 

It was a beautiful tune, which was very soothing. 

Somehow, after a minute of trance, Shikamaru felt confident again. _Weird_. 

He coughed, because that's _obviously_ the only way to get someone's attention. 

Naruto stopped humming and looked at him. 

"Yeah?"

"I never knew that you actually studied you know? You've been doing very well lately." 

Straight to the point. Naruto thinks. 

"Why, thank you Shikamaru. And I didn't know you paid attention in class to notice my improvement."

Ah, yes. No one told Shikamaru that this would be easy. 

After just a second of looking bewildered, Shikamaru laughed awkwardly. 

"Erm..you know, I'm very observant when it comes to mysteries. And umm... you're one you know?" 

"Oh? And how is that exactly?" 

"Many reasons really..........You're an orphan yet were never adopted, you live in an apartment given by the Hokage himself, you don't have any proper instructions given to you by someone except Iruka sensei, and all this doesn't make sense. The hostility of the villagers towards you I mean. But one thing did. You sucked in the academy except well, brawling, because of this negligent treatment of you. But now, all of a sudden. _You don't suck._ I've several theories really. But why don't you just tell me what's the real deal?" 

Shikamaru looks at Naruto, hiding any expectant gaze begging to break out on his face. He must appear in control of the situation. All cards are his and his alone. 

He looks at Naruto and Naruto is back at looking at the clouds. His face is a little hard but there's still a knowing look on his face. Shikamaru thinks that maybe he's considering telling him what's this all about. And he so hopes that that is what's going to happen. 

After about a minute, Naruto looks at him and laughs. Full blown laughter. 

It's not obnoxious, Shikamaru realizes. It's one filled with humour and Shikamaru doesn't mind one bit that maybe Naruto is laughing at him.   
But he still can't stop the confused look that takes refuge on his pale face. 

Naruto stops eventually and asks,   
"I've a deal for you. Want to hear it?"

_Oh how Naruto loves making deals these days._

Shikamaru is skeptical but he knows that hearing the deal doesn't mean he has to accept it so he says yes. 

"We play a match of Shogi. You win, you get the answers you wish to know. You don't and you have to start taking your shinobi training seriously. Deal?" 

Shikamaru almost smirks because there's no way he is losing a Shogi match. That's his pride and joy. There is however a voice in his head that reminds him that Naruto's terms are strange and somehow Naruto knows both his weakness and strength, which is the temptation of an intellectual challenge. But around Naruto, Shikamaru thinks that his rationality takes a backstep and there's a thrill about this deal, this challenge, Naruto's mere company and so he **_accepts_**. 

He accepts a challenge he'll remember forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason that Naruto is making deals now. He knows how to manipulate his friends and knows their weaknesses and so he thinks it's the easiest way for them to do what he wants them to do (huh, that sounds so evil. Lmao). He won't be talk-no-jutsu-ing them. This isn't cannon Naruto with idealistic thoughts. 
> 
> Who do you think will win guys? It can go both ways, mind you. 
> 
> Also, thanks for reading this piece of shit. Imma go cry now. Internally. 
> 
> Peace.


	7. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shogi match is won and some stuff happens. I'm not telling yall what coz then the winner will be revealed. Read on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why but lemme know if it seems I'm stretching the plot too much? I don't want the story to get boring.

The Shogi match had already been going on for 2 hours and even though the earlier intensity had somewhat mellowed down, the pressure was high on both ends. 

Shikamaru was obviously caught off guard by the seemingly deep understanding of his own playing style by Naruto but he was very adaptable and it showed when any advantage Naruto had over Shikamaru became non-existent. He changed game plans with each move. He analysed, he took his time, gave a lot of forethought and then moved pieces. 

Naruto on the other hand, was cursing himself for not taking those Shogi matches he played with the Shikamaru of his timeline seriously. He was always told by Shikamaru that just like his impulsive battle style in his youth, his strategies in Shogi were also straightfoward and too predictable for him. And even though, on the battlefield, Naruto was not reckless anymore, on the gameboard, he was usually lost if his original plans didn't work out. 

So at the beginning, since Naruto thankfully remembered some of Shikamaru's playing style, he held the advantage. 

Obviously, that ended brutally. Shikamaru was now clearly in the lead but the beads of sweat forming on both parties' heads were clear indication that this was not an easy match. 

Naruto was struggling to keep his concentration and Shikamaru was struggling to _stay awake_ , but it was relatively easy, since the thrill of this challenge had only increased when he realized that Naruto did _not_ exactly suck at this game. 

Shikamaru was going to make a move that would hopefully help him win in the next 10 plays or so (yes, his forethought in this game is unmatched), the door abruptly opened and in walked a very tired looking Shikaku. 

He came to a halt when he noticed what was happening. Since when did his son play Shogi with anyone but him? As far as he knew, Shikamaru didn't consider any of his classmates even remotely a challenge to play with, so he didn't. Shikamaru didn't waste his energy in things which wouldn't prove to be fruitful in the end, and easy victories are just that for him. 

Shikaku was a shinobi, a high ranked one at that and so he didn't hold any prejudices against Naruto, infact, he respected the boy. So he didn't bat an eye at the fact that _the boy was_ Naruto, but that Naruto _was playing Shogi with his son._

He just came back from a session of Kakashi Hatake whining (in a very _adult way_ ofcourse) about his assignment to yet another genin team, members of which were yet unknown. And so he didn't think that his day could get any weirder. _Curse his luck._

He sighed and asked, "Do I really want to know what this is about?" 

Shikamaru looks tad sheepish but he waves a lazy hand towards his father urging him to leave them alone, "Nah, you go take your nap now, I'll tell you later. _Maybe not._ _Definitely not._ " Naruto just looks at Shikaku and goes a bit pale. Both son and father think that maybe Naruto is intimidated but what exactly is intimidating about Shikaku, they don't know. On the other hand, Naruto had just seen a person he respected deeply, after so many years of his death, alive and well. Ah, the past always surprises Naruto when he least expects it. 

Shikaku chuckles but goes out the door, himself intrigued about what it was all about but knowing better than to pester his son about it since Naras held their mysteries close to themselves and he knew that. 

As the door shuts, Shikamaru turns his lazy yet sharp gaze back to the board and makes his move. 

The game ends in the next 30 mins and Naruto reminds himself that he tried, he tried his very best but it wasn't his fault that Shikaku popped up suddenly and seeing Shikaku brought back memories of the war, and the deaths and _Neji_ and _Inoichi-san_ and that his already waning concentration took a hard blow and so he promises himself that he will definitely punch a wall to remove that frustration but right now he will appear calm. 

Shikamaru sees these raging of emotions and wonders what's happening in Naruto's head but he reminds himself that this time he will be getting answers to his questions. He allows himself a small victory smirk and an imaginary pat on his back because even though this wasn't the toughest Shogi match he's ever played, it was a close one, considering how distracted he was by Naruto's presence itself. 

When he sees Naruto has composed himself enough, he goes for it. 

"Can I start now?" 

"Huh?" Naruto asks intelligently. 

_Where's that amusement now Naruto?_ Shikamaru thinks sarcastically but doesn't get cheeky with Naruto then. 

"The questions? Should I start?" 

"Oh yeah, yeah. The _interrogation_. Go on, I'm ready." Naruto says and he really is. Truth be told, Naruto always knew he would be losing this match and that he would have to answer any and all questions Shikamaru had. 

"Alright. Starting light. Where did you drop off your groceries a little while ago? They disappeared." 

"Storage scrolls." Naruto makes a show of pulling out a dark purple covered scroll out of one of his pouches, unfurls it, places his palm in the centre and after a second, an apple pops out.

He then proceeds to throw it at Shikamaru because **_revenge_**. 

Shikamaru doesn't understand the humour when Naruto laughs. He deadpans and eats the apple because Shogi can make him hungry. 

Naruto puts the scroll back and doesn't elaborate on how he's proficient at seals, a skill he picked up in memory of his late master after the war, but instead he turns to Shikamaru, ready for the next attack. Oops, _question_. 

"Tell me how did you just vanish whenever I cornered you after school?" 

"Ah, that. It's the body flicker technique." 

_Knew it,_ Shikamaru shouts in his head while his face looks oddly pleased by that answer. However-   
"How did you learn that technique? None of of us are taught that until we're established genins or chunins?" 

"Will you believe me if I said I copied it by seeing a jonin perform it?" Naruto asks sheepishly. 

"No." Comes the blunt reply accompanied by a blank stare. 

"Alright, alright. It was the Hokage. He supplied me some books on jutsus and... it's a secret, Shikamaru, since if it gets out that the Hokage is personally looking into my training, he'll be accused of playing favourites and not being a just leader. " There. There starts the bluff on Naruto's part.

Shikamaru clearly hadn't expected that reply but considering that Naruto already got an apartment by the Hokage, a little more assistance didn't appear far fetched. 

"But he **is** playing favourites technically. My question is, _why_?" 

"Because....I need that help if I have to **survive**." Naruto replies with the most serious expression he could muster. 

He was going to laugh in his pillow for hours that night. 

"What- what do you mean by _survive?_ How are you in any more danger than any of us anyway?" 

"Ah, that's the main secret Shikamaru. And one I'll tell you. You mentioned the unfair treatment of the villagers against me, remember? Well it's all interrelated. "

Naruto could _see_ Shikamaru's _eyes_. 

He was wide awake. 

Miracle. 

_Miracle_. 

_**Miracle**_. 

Shikamaru gave a slightly eager nod for Naruto to continue and continue he did. 

"I'll be honest. 12 years ago, when the nine-tailed fox attacked the village and the 4th Hokage killed the beast? Yeah, that's all bullshit." 

Shikamaru raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that, already processing what this meant. 

"The beast is an entity made of pure chakra. It can't be killed. It can only be sealed and sealed it was. Only not in an inanimate object but in a baby. A human baby." 

And that was enough for Shikamaru to connect all the dots and join all the pieces of the story. 

In 10 secs, Naruto heard a soft gasp coming from Shikamaru and he knew this secret of his was out. He didn't particularly mind it since he knew Shikamaru won't hold it against him, and he was at peace with his identity as a jinchuriki. 

"Naruto", Shikamaru began, "that baby was _you_. _You_ hold the nine-tailed fox. That's why those stupid villagers despise you, that's why you're not adopted, that's why the Hokage looks after you-" he stops abruptly and thinks some more. 

" **But** considering the Hokage giving you study materials, why were you not any good before this week? And your personality, it's- it's changed."

Naruto smiled at him. Internally though, he was panicking. He had thought of only this much before coming here, leaving the rest to his spontaneity but now his mind was drawing a blank. 

"So......?" Shikamaru urged. 

Naruto kept smiling. It got a bit creepy at one point. And after about 2 minutes, Naruto did something that could only be said as the most stupid thing or a true stroke of genius. 

He said softly, creepy smile still intact, " _Deception_."

Shikamaru heard it and like the genius he is, interpreted it in a way that justified Naruto's bipolar behaviour. He thought of the importance of deception in the life of a Shinobi. But he failed to notice the logic in Naruto revealing his 'true self' _just_ two weeks before graduation and the need for Naruto to deceive his friends and acquaintances from his _own village_. When Shikamaru will realize this, it will have been too late and the terms of bet will have been fulfilled. 

For now though, Shikamaru smiles, because now he knows alot about Naruto, who he is, why is he is so, and the weird circumstances revolving around Naruto. He doesn't think that Naruto is some evil reincarnate but he does recognize the power Naruto holds. He looks into those blue eyes, and finds a maturity in them he hadn't previously seen. He then sees the amused smile on that whiskered face and he realizes he's been staring and Naruto had apparently noticed it too. 

Shikamaru coughs a bit hoarsely and Naruto is just relieved that his answer had seemingly satisfied Shikamaru. 

"That's it then?" He asks taking advantage of Shikamaru's slightly disoriented state. 

Shikamaru still thinks but says yes nonetheless. 

Naruto walks up to the door and steps outside, Shikamaru right behind him. 

"Nice match, Shikamaru. And congratulations on the win." Naruto says and almost grumbles at the last part. 

"Ah yes, nice game. You played well-" Shikamaru recognizes his error and curses because _how in the world_ did he forget to ask Naruto about how he knew his game style when they'd never ever played together before? 

"Naruto, a quick question. Last one-" he begins in his usual lazy tone so that Naruto can't tell it's an important question. 

But unfortunately for him, Naruto is _not_ in the mood for it. 

"Na-uh, not happening. The deal is over. I've to go. Bye Shikamaru..." He starts running in the opposite direction. 

Shikamaru hunches his shoulders and stuffs his hands in his pant pockets. He's a bit annoyed but his curiosity is pretty much sated. 

He turns around and walks a bit before his name is called out again by Naruto. He looks in his direction and makes out Naruto's figure, his hands cupped around his mouth,

"SHIKAMARU, THE NINE TAILED THING IS A HIGH SECURITY SECRET. REVEAL IT TO ANYONE FROM OUR GENERATION OR AFTER AND I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU. OTHER THAN THAT, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT." 

Shikamaru sees Naruto disappear completely and laughs because _half_ of his clan mates probably just heard what Naruto just **shouted** as a _secret_.

He shakes his head and a word finds itself on his lips, just this time, it's much more fond than it's ever been. 

"Troublesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyoo, so yeah, Shikamaru knows some stuff now, he won't be finding out about the time travel..not now, not ever If I can have my way. 
> 
> Also, next chap is finally the genin teams starting out. Lmao. Like FINALLY. 
> 
> Anyway, have a good day/night/evening/afternoon!  
> Peace.


	8. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genin exams, Mizuki dies, a kiss happens, and just more ROMANCE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologise if my writing offends any person who is gay, closeted or not. I'm just trying to have fun with my writing, lemme know if I did write something offensive anyway.

The two weekends that Naruto and Sasuke spent sparring together didn't bring them any closer and Naruto didn't particularly _try_ either. They just enjoyed training themselves till they were drenched in sweat and their muscles ached all over but they had that sense satisfaction of accomplishing a particularly grueling task. 

Not that Naruto actually tried. He had to put in more effort into _not revealing_ his true strength than actually _fighting Sasuke._

Sasuke would **flip out** if ever knew this little fact. 

But even if they didn't share any special bond all of a sudden, Naruto became that one person for Sasuke that he could _tolerate_ being next to. 

So, that's the reason both of the boys entered the classroom together on the day of the genin exams. It wasn't unusual, however, as they'd been doing this for the past week. 

When it first happened, be assured that the fangirls of the dark-haired boy threw an overly dramatic fit which only stopped when Sasuke sent a murderous look towards them. The scary fact was, Sasuke _actually_ wanted to murder them. Not that anyone would blame him if he did. 

On entering, Naruto took a beeline to the seat next to Shikamaru like he'd been doing after the Shogi match. 

Shikamaru was already in his seat, sleeping. Nothing unusual there. 

As Naruto kept debating mentally, whether he should pass or fail this exam, Shikamaru woke up. Now, Shikamaru had pondered over all the information he received last weekend in his head, over and over and over. 

And for some reason, he felt like he'd been played by Naruto. 

But since, he didn't have any logical reasoning, and since he didn't blindly follow his instincts, he kicked back the feeling of strangling Naruto whenever he saw him. 

So now, he observed. Like always. Naruto broke out of his thoughts and said, "Ah, so you're up. Excited to leave this hellhole?" 

Shikamaru snorted because he found the outside world just as big of a hellhole as he found the academy. 

_He really just wanted to nap._

"Excitement is not an emotion I'm familiar with Naruto. But I'm sure you are." 

"Oh right. Your laziness knows no bound Shika. And me? Yeah, I'm plenty excited."   
_No_ , no he _wasn't_. He was actually dreading going on those boring D-rank missions again. 

He just wanted to _murder_ Hidan or Kakuzu or Deidera. _Anyone who was up for fight, really._

But he didn't say that, just as Shikamaru didn't say anything about the new nickname Naruto gave him, which he admittedly found nice and endearing. 

Just then, Naruto realized that he really had no choice but to pass the exams since it would be very suspicious if he didn't, considering Shikamaru thought he'd been getting special training from the Hokage himself and that Sasuke thought Naruto as his equal since they'd been sparring together. 

So Naruto lifted his hand and pressed it against the back of Shikamaru's head, promptly putting his face on the desk ahead. He then put his head down too. And they **slept**. 

_Fun_. 

**_They even slept through the screeching of Ino and Sakura._ **

_They're pretty talented at sleeping._

When Shikamaru was called to give his tests, he got up lazily, and dragged his feet into the examination hall. 

He passed. That's obvious. 

Afterawhile, Iruka's loud voice woke up Naruto from whatever weird dream he was having. 

Unlike Shikamaru, Naruto walked into the hall, alert. Old habits die hard. 

"So Naruto, let's start. First, show us the substitution jutsu." Mitzuki said in the most sweet and warm voice he could muster. 

Naruto gave him a smirk. Mitzuki kept smiling but internally he felt something was not right. 

Naruto flawlessly performed a substitution jutsu with a nearby chair. He didn't do it signlessly, though he could, because that would earn him many bonus points. His aim was to be average so that those scores combining with the average of the scores throughout the year (which were very very low) would still retain him the place at the bottom. 

He liked Sasuke and Sakura as teammates. Don't blame him for going that way again. 

Next he did the transformation justu and his smirk grew wide. 

It grew even wider when he noticed the completely shocked looks on both Iruka and Mizuki's faces when he performed the clone jutsu. 

_Boom_. 

**Three perfect clones.**

Mitzuki almost fainted. 

Iruka, on the other hand, was _ecstatic_. He really liked Naruto and seeing his improvement in the last 2 weeks had given him hope that Naruto would finally graduate and become a shinobi that year. 

Though Naruto didn't get Iruka's forehead protector this time and the sentimental value attached to it, seeing Iruka's overly proud grin while tying the shiny headgear onto his forehead and seeing the anger Mizuki was desperately trying to control that very moment made this change in history worth it for Naruto. 

Once he went back in, not many people appeared shocked or surprised. They all could see that he'd changed by now. 

Sasuke nodded at him and he nodded back. 

_What a lovely way to congratulate each other._

He slid into his seat next to Shikamaru and woke him up from yet another nap. 

Shikamaru smiled lazily at him on noticing the silver and blue on his head. 

"Ready for working hard now Shika?" 

"Never. Ready for answering some more of my questions?" 

"Never." Naruto winked at him and proceeded to look out of the window. 

Shikamaru sighed softly and continued to look at Naruto's blond hair. 

Why did he find Naruto's hair so interesting? 

He was going insane, wasn't he? 

After while, Iruka came in and gave them instructions for the next day. 

Everyone left, but Naruto sneakily made a detour for the Hokage tower. 

Hiruzen wasn't in his office. Perfect. 

He grabbed a brush and paper and wrote down a tip. 

_' Respected Hokage, _

_Ah, ah, ah before you throw this away thinking of it as a sketchy anonymous piece of crap, let me just inform you that one your teachers at the academy, chunin Mizuki, is infact a traitor of this village and a spy of Orochimaru. He's planning of acquiring the scroll of sealing tonight, somehow, and escaping from the village. I have high hopes that you will be able to prevent this._

_A well-wisher of this village,_   
_Someone who Jiraiya trusts to convey this information.'_

Naruto was just bluffing everyone left and right these days. But it was necessary. He knew what he wrote there anonymously wouldn't be taken seriously unless he was a supposed messenger of the spy master of the village. 

_Not that Jiraiya would mind taking that credit of providing such crucial information if asked about it anyway._

And Naruto knew his plan would work and it did. 

The next day Mizuki was no more. The scroll of sealing was safe and one sensei was very proud of the supposed deligent work of one of his students. 

Naruto was just too smug. 

He entered the classroom with the very same expression mindlessly humming a tune. 

Once again, Shikamaru was awed. He really should think about these odd reactions of his towards Naruto. 

Naruto randomly high fived Kiba and another civilian-turned-ninja on his way to his seat. 

He saw Sasuke sitting by the side and all of a sudden, he remembered something. 

_Something horrifying._

_Something absolutely tragic._

His **_first kiss_** happened _that_ day. 

With that boy he's just seeing. 

With _Sasuke_. 

He turned pale and hurried over towards Shikamaru, tune completely out of his vocal chords. 

He sat down and calmed himself because hell if he looked scared on his first day as a genin, all because of a kiss that most probably won't happen anyway. 

Shikamaru was kind of amused. Naruto was clearly scared of something though nobody in the class could probably tell that.

He wanted to know why. 

"So Naruto, what's the big deal? Seen a ghost?" 

"Worse." Naruto mumbles. 

"Mind telling me what?" 

Naruto looks at him, and rolls his eyes.

"You and your fucking questions, they never stop do they?" 

"Hey, I'm just inquisitive. Not a crime." 

"Man, just shut up." Naruto says in fond exasperation. 

Shikamaru thinks that he should've said _'Make me'_ right then because what followed would've been iconic. 

The same guy who pushed Naruto onto Sasuke in the original timeline, nudged Naruto sitting on the outer edge while walking down the aisle a bit harshly and Naruto, caught off-guard, almost fell on Shikamaru, their faces millimetres apart, as their lips brushed in the world's most awkward half-kiss. 

Shikamaru thought the world hated and loved him both, in that moment, because he _didn't mind_ that lip-touching at all. 

_Naruto just really really wanted to die._

As soon as that kiss started, it got over and began the shocked silence that permeated throughout the class. 

Some were rude enough to openly gawk at the two. 

Some had balls of steel to _actually laugh._

Naruto was **not** amused. 

He shot all of them a look that promised death and they all intelligently went back to normal. 

Naruto sighed. Then chuckled. 

"That was awkward....huh?" 

Shikamaru shakes his head in humour. 

"Well, definitely. Not that I particularly mind-" 

He abruptly shut up. 

Stupid brain. Stupid mouth. Stupid feelings. Stupid blond boy. 

Naruto, though, he was slightly bewildered. He didn't show any of it on his face though.   
He knew he himself was bisexual so he had already planned on going into straight and gay relationships but he didn't think that he'd have a chance with any of his friends. 

But Shikamaru, his support, his advisor, his steady and really close friend? 

This Shikamaru would become that for him eventually. But something _more_ than that? 

Well, he'd look into it. 

So he smirked knowingly at Shikamaru and turned away to save Shikamaru any embarasment. 

Shikamaru, for his part, was grateful. 

He really needed to confront his inner gay. And _soon_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha. I like murder jokes.  
> So yeah, the ship is sailing and it will keep sailing. Shikamaru is being awkward af rn. Naruto will probably shake him out of it. Mostly. Probably. 
> 
> Kakashi will come into the picture next chapter. Yayyyy. 
> 
> Comment anything you want!  
> And have a nice day/night/evening/afternoon. 
> 
> Peace.


End file.
